


Trust Me

by StillNotGinger10



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Coldflash Exchange 2018, Identity Porn, Identity Reveal, M/M, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-16 22:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15447657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StillNotGinger10/pseuds/StillNotGinger10
Summary: When Barry meets a nice, good-looking man on his way to S.T.A.R. Labs, he's elated. That is, until he stops that same man from robbing an armored car. Forgetting all about him would be a lot easier to do if Captain Cold would stop trying so hard to woo him.





	Trust Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MewWitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MewWitch/gifts).



> This is a gift for MewWitch for the Coldflash Exchange. I hope you like it! :D
> 
> Thank you to blue_wonderer for beta reading! :)
> 
> For the prompt: Secret identity/Alter ego shenanigans -(either before len finds out, or au where len never found out the flash's identity) Len encounters barry the csi (at a heist, the presinct, whatever) and is immediately intrigued. Cue his attempts at woeing; leaving love notes at crime scenes, send stolen "gifts", the flower arrangement to end all flower arrangements on his birthday/valentines day. The guy is basically shameless. The CCPD is NOT amused, honestly they are a little bit worried(I've always been a fan of the barry being the precinct's baby brother headcannon) course those in the know about the flash find the whole thing hilarious (except Oliver. Oliver is also NOT AMUSED), especially when len starts bragging to flash about "meeting someone new.".

**** “Excuse me.”

Barry turned around at the deep voice to see the man he’d just walked past. Of course, Barry had noticed him even before their shoulders had brushed. He was gorgeous. But Barry didn’t think he’d been noticed back.

“I think you dropped this,” the man said holding out a very familiar looking wallet.

Oh. He was just returning something. It was probably silly for Barry to hope it was more.

“Thanks,” Barry said, taking the wallet back with a smile. “My badge for work is in here. I’d be dead without it. You’re a lifesaver.”

The man hummed, looking thoughtful as he met Barry’s gaze. Wow his eyes were really blue. Were widow’s peaks always so attractive?

“Since it’s such a big favor, maybe you can pay me back?”

“What?” Barry asked.

“Coffee?” The man asked, nodding towards a nearby shop. “Buy me a cup, let me enjoy your company, and we’ll call it even.”

He wanted—he wanted coffee with—“Me?” Barry asked before flushing and trying again. “I mean, yes. Sure. Of course. Let’s go.”

The man smiled. “Perfect.”

* * *

“When do you think I should text him?” Barry asked as he sped between chess with Doctor Wells, ping pong with Cisco, and Operation with Caitlin at STAR Labs. He’d been a little late to their training session because he’d stopped for coffee with Len Winters, the man who returned his wallet, but Barry thought it was well worth it.

“Three days,” Cisco said without hesitation.

“No,” Caitlin said. “That rule is ridiculous. Text him tomorrow. Or call him.”

“What? No, don’t call him. Text. And wait longer,” Cisco said.

“Maybe he’ll want to call me,” Barry said as he moved a pawn across the chess board. “We didn’t really decide that.”

“Maybe,” Dr. Wells said, “you should leave this matter for later and focus on your training for now, Mr. Allen.”

“I know, I know,” Barry said as he pulled yet another piece out of the Operation board. “But he was just so—”

“Charming,” Cisco said.

“And handsome,” Caitlin finished.

“Dude, we know,” Cisco said as he hit another ball.

“I’m really glad you’ve found someone, Barry,” Caitlin said before accidentally making the board buzz.

“Thanks. I just—he’s just—” Barry cut off as he missed the ball Cisco passed him at the same time Dr. Wells declared checkmate.

“Far too distracting,” Dr. Wells finished Barry’s sentence before his expression softened. “At least for now, Mr. Allen. It seems that four tasks may be too much for you to focus on at once.”

Before Barry could argue, the alarms sounded, blaring across the speaker system.

“Armored car robbery,” Cisco said after wheeling over to the console to check the monitors. That was all Barry needed to hear. With one glance at the map, Barry was speeding into his uniform and to the highway.

* * *

As much fun as it is to finally be able to show off his powers for a friend, Barry’s too preoccupied to join in Felicity’s excitement at the picture he took of her from the roof of a nearby building.

Catching onto his mood, Felicity lowered the phone and asked, “So, tell me about him?”

“What’s to tell?” Barry asked with a sigh as they started walking again. “He’s a criminal, Felicity. He even lied about his name.” After seeing Len at the armored car robbery, it shouldn't have been a shock to see his mug shot in the book Joe showed him at the precinct, but it was. Seeing Leonard Snart written under a picture of a man Barry knew as Len Winters  _ hurt _ .

“Sorry, Barry,” Felicity said as she looped her arm through his. She hesitated before adding. “But you liked him before you found that out?”

“Well, yeah,” he said, “but he’s a thief.”

“A thief is a long way from being a murderer or something.”

“Felicity!” Barry choked out. Was she joking? She couldn't be serious.

“All I’m saying is if Oliver can date Huntress—”

“He did what now?” Barry asked, eyes wide and voice high.

Felicity stopped them. “We haven’t told you the story?”

“No,” Barry rushed to answer. Oh, he was ready for story time, and he was never going to let Oliver live this down.

* * *

The last thing Barry needed after learning that Cisco was the one to make the cold gun—a weapon meant to be used against  _ him _ that had been used to kill an innocent man—was a reminder of how Len had betrayed him. So of course, while Barry was hiding out in his lab at the CCPD, avoiding everyone but mostly STAR Labs, Len texted him.

_ Barry, I have to leave Central for a little while. Join me for dinner before I go? _

In the midst of all of the chaos lately, Barry forgot that Len didn't know yet that Barry knew who he was. He still thought Barry was interested when just thinking about him made Barry’s stomach churn.

_ No. You shouldn't write me anymore. _ Barry sent back.

_Why?_ _What’s wrong?_

What’s wrong? He was a liar and a thief. A criminal. And now, Barry was sure, a murderer.

_ I’m not supposed to associate with criminals _ ,  _ Snart. _

Len couldn't play dumb after that, could he? Barry had to be clear and firm. He knew the truth, he didn’t appreciate the lies, and it was  _ not okay _ that Len was a criminal.

_ What can I do to make you trust me again? _

He didn’t try to deny it, didn’t state the obvious that Barry had found out, he just went into damage control. He tried to salvage the situation. Barry could…respect that. That Len wasn’t lying anymore or giving up. He still wanted to give them a try. That shouldn't change anything though.

_ Stop killing people _ .

Barry didn’t expect Len agree to his request, or to actually follow through, but it was the only thing he could think of to say. He probably shouldn’t have said anything, but he was just so furious about Len killing that man at the theater and he needed Len to know. He needed someone to know just how much it bothered him.

Not that he expected anything to come from it. As if the criminal was going to change his lifestyle just because of a man he’d met once. He wasn’t really expecting anything from Len, much less the text message he received in reply.

_ Deal. _

* * *

There was no reason for them to assign a different CSI to Snart’s case, at least no reason that Barry was willing to share.

Seeing the robbed museum and derailed train less than twenty-four hours after staring down the barrel of Snart’s cold gun was surreal.

It was not long before that that Len had text him too. That they’d made a deal, as much as he could call it that.

“Excuse me,” a woman’s voice interrupted Barry’s thoughts. He turned to see one of the passengers that he’d rescued from the train.

“Yes, can I help you?” he asked.

“I was on the train last night. The man, the one with the ice? He told me to give the cute CSI that shows up to investigate a note.” She held out a folded piece of paper with a blush. “I’m guessing he meant you.”

Len took the time to give a passenger a note before Barry showed up? He had Barry’s number. Surely if there was something he needed to tell him, he’d just text again.

As Barry unfolded the note, the woman continued. “It’s weird. I should hate him, but he seemed nice?” She sounded just as unsure about what she was saying as Barry was. At his questioning look, she explained. “He said not to worry, that the Flash would come and he’d keep all of us safe. He seemed so sure…” She trailed off before awkwardly stepping away. “Anyway, I delivered the message, so I’m done. Um bye.” And before Barry could say goodbye himself, she was gone.

Then he got a good look at the note:

_ I can keep a promise. Trust me. _

He didn’t want to. He shouldn't. But that didn’t stop Barry from pocketing the note instead of throwing it away.

* * *

The next time Barry received something from Len, unfortunately, Joe happened to be in the room. Though maybe that was fortunate since Joe didn’t let him get distracted away from logic.

“I didn’t know they delivered coffee,” Joe said, eyeing the cup that Barry had just taken from the Jitters worker that showed up in his lab.

“Um I don’t think they do,” Barry said, turning the cup until he saw ‘trust me’ written on the side of the cup. He knew immediately who it was from, and he was not looking forward to having to explain to Joe that Leonard Snart had enough money and influence to make delivery available at any shop.

“Who’s it from?” he asked, and when Barry didn’t answer, he took the cup right out of his hands. His expression hardened as he turned the cup in his hands, examining every side. “Is it Snart?”

Barry winced. “Joe…”

“I thought you were stopping this thing with him.”

“I am. I did. We never really had a thing. It was coffee once, and that was it,” Barry tried to explain as he took a seat at his desk.

“But he’s sending you coffee, Barr?”

“I can’t control what he does,” Barry said, reaching out to take the cup back from Joe, who dropped it unceremoniously in the trash can. Barry was in no way in control of the wounded sound that left him.

“What? You weren’t going to drink that.” Joe’s expression said more than his words about just how bad of an idea he thought that was.

“What? It’s—The  _ coffee _ didn’t rob anyone,” Barry exclaimed, tone indignant.

“You don’t know if that was poisoned.”

“He wouldn't  _ poison _ me,” Barry said.

“How do you know that, Barr? The guy’s a criminal, you can’t trust anything you think you know about him,” Joe said, shaking his head. “No accepting  _ anything _ from criminals,” he added, pointing at Barry before leaving.

Part of Barry felt like he was a preteen again, getting lectured by Joe about something simple and obvious like not running with scissors or looking both ways before crossing the road. The rest of him was still mourning the loss of a perfectly good coffee.

* * *

By the end of the day, Barry had completely forgotten the coffee. After what happened with Bette, Eiling, and everything else, Barry just wanted to hide in his lab and throw himself into his work.

Maybe Len somehow knew he had bad day, or maybe he just assumed Barry was the kind of worker that pulled far too much overtime. Either way, he sent another package just when Barry needed it most.

The delivery person was far too well dressed for the food to have come from somewhere that regularly made deliveries. From the buttoned shirt, the bag and containers that were free of logos, and the amazing smell coming from the food, Barry guessed that Len had ordered him dinner from an upscale restaurant in Central and convinced them to send a waiter with the food to the precinct.

_ ‘To help you get through your late-night work.’ _ the note inside read.

He should throw it out. He should  _ not accept anything from criminals _ . He should text Len and tell him not to send him anything else.

Instead, Barry sat at his desk, opened the container, and cherished the warm, delicious food. He thought about how nice it was that someone cared enough to make sure he ate when working late. He let the warmth in his stomach distract him from thinking about everything that had gone wrong that day. And he sent Len a text.

_ Thank you. _

* * *

 

_ How are you? _

Barry stared at the text message on his phone. He should ignore it. He should stop doing anything that encouraged Len. But he wasn't having the best week. Every week seemed to come with a new problem lately.

This week, the problem wasn't even something that should bother him. Not really. He was The Flash. He was a superhero. Having Tony Woodward show up out of nowhere shouldn't affect him this much. But it did.

_ Not great _ . Barry sent back.

_ What’s wrong? _

It felt foolish as he typed it out, but if he were really going to vent to Len, if he were going to hope that the criminal could make him feel better, then he might as well be honest.

_ My high school bully is back in town :/ _

The emoticon made it less ridiculous. Somehow.

_ Give me a name. _

Was he offering to threaten Tony for him? To hurt him? Barry wasn't sure what reaction he was expecting, but that definitely wasn’t it.

_ OMG no! _

He couldn't help but laugh out loud as he sent the text. Talking to Len really had managed to make him feel better.

* * *

As much as texting Len had helped Barry feel better, a week later, he spent most of a day ignoring the man’s messages.

His speed was gone and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever get it back. Even though he hadn’t been the Flash for that long, his other identity felt like an essential part of him already.  Of course, he still had his old life and his CSI work, but it wasn’t the same. There were still metas on the loose, and he couldn’t help.

The phone buzzed again.

Barry ignored it.

Len had gathered that something was wrong—Barry had figured that out from the few texts he had read—but Barry didn’t want to talk about it. How could he even talk about it without giving away his secret identity?

“Allen!” came Singh’s voice from downstairs.

Barry rushed out of his seat and down the stairs, only to find the captain fuming in front of a hoard of delivery workers and gifts. Barry could only gape as the man turned towards him.

“It’s great that you’ve found someone, Allen, but please remind them that this is your work place.” He sounded furious. Behind him were large bouquets in every color, stuffed animals, and comically large boxes and gift baskets of sweets and goodies. Barry didn’t even try to speak, afraid he might start laughing by accident.

This was ridiculous. Did Len really--?

Barry ducked his head as he moved forward and looked at a few of the cards.

_ Cheer up. _

_ Have a great day! _

_ Trust me. _

Barry’s face was on fire. This was so unprofessional, embarrassing, hilarious…

“Allen!”

“Sir,” he said, turning back to Singh.

“Show them up to your lab,” he said as though it were obvious. It probably was. Couldn’t have the spectacle taking up space in the lobby.

“Right. Umm up there,” he told the delivery workers as he pointed up the stairs.

“Someone really likes you, Allen.”

“Do we need to give someone a shovel talk?”

“What’s she like, Allen? Got pictures?”

The officers’ jeers followed him up the stairs, and he turned back in time to see their laughing faces and Joe. Joe did not look amused at all. Concerned. Angry. Definitely not amused.

With the deliveries being brought into his lab and taking up all of the space around him, Barry checked the last message on his phone.

_ You’re welcome. _

_ That ass _ , Barry thought, laughing as a heart shaped balloon bumped into the back of his head.

* * *

Oliver, like Joe, was less than enthused about whatever was going on between Barry and Len. Unfortunately for him, he chose to bring it up after he shot Barry up with a couple of arrows, so Barry was not in the mood for it.

“Felicity told me about Huntress,” Barry can’t help but throw in his face.

Oliver’s expression didn’t change at all. It stayed flat and serious and a little angrier than the situation deserved if anyone asked Barry.

(And that’s the problem. No one was  _ asking _ .)

“We’re not talking about me,” Oliver said. “We’re talking about you and your relationship with Leonard Snart.”

“We call him Captain Cold,” Barry said before the smile dropped from his face as he processed the rest of Oliver’s sentence. “And we don’t have a relationship. Not beyond hero and villain, I mean.”

“Doesn’t he text you?”

“Yeah, but—”

“And buy you food?”

“A couple of times, but—”

“And didn’t he bombard you with gifts at work?”

“It’s nothing!” Barry finally burst out, fed up with Oliver cutting him off. “I had coffee with him once, he knows my cell number and work address and takes advantage of that, and that’s it!” He said around the blood pounding in his ears. Why did no one listen to him about this? Why did they keep questioning him? Why did any of them think he wanted their opinion about Len?

“See you at the lab,” Barry said before speeding off. He needed to run. He needed to think. He needed to get away from everyone that was annoying him lately.

* * *

Barry felt awful. Under the influence of Rainbow Raider, he had yelled at Joe, attacked Eddie, and fought Oliver. Little things that shouldn't have bothered him, big things that he should have been able to calmly think of solutions to, it all infuriated him.

To think that he was capable of so much destruction if he was angry enough. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. It was horrifying.

“I’m sorry—” Barry tried again once they were seated side by side in a bar, but Oliver’s raised hand cut him off.

“You weren’t yourself. You were under the influence of that metahuman’s powers. There’s really no need to apologize, Barry.”

“But you were just trying to help,” he said, needing Oliver to understand. “With the training and the talk. And I attacked you for caring.”

“Really,” Oliver said, shaking his head. “It’s fine.” He took a long pull of his beer before he spoke again. “But are you ready now to admit that it’s not  _ nothing _ ?”

“No.”

* * *

The Reverse Flash. The Man in Yellow. He was terrifying. He was the cause of all of Barry’s nightmares. He was the one that killed his mom.

And he was back.

He was too fast to beat.

Barry was too slow.

He—

Barry grabbed his phone and started typing before he could think better of it. Before he could think about anything.

_ I’m having a really bad day, _ he sent to Len.

_ When are you back in Central? _ he added before a second had even passed.

_ Soon.  _ Len answered.

What was Barry thinking? It wasn’t like he could meet up with Len. It wasn’t like they could actually have anything, was it? And he definitely didn’t want the man stealing in his city again.

He sighed, slouching in his seat only to jump when someone knocked on the open door of his lab.

“Did I get here in time?” An out of breath man in a Jitters uniform asked while holding out a cup. “All he said was to hurry.”

“Uh yeah, you’re fine,” Barry said as he got up and grabbed the cup. Hot chocolate this time. With extra marshmallows.

Ignoring the Jitters worker, Barry rushed back to the phone on his desk when he heard it buzz again.

_ Hot chocolate makes everything better.  _ Len wrote.  _ Trust me. _

* * *

“You went through a lot of trouble to get my attention, Cold,” Barry called out as he strolled down the street towards Len and Heatwave wearing full Flash regalia.

“Sorry to disappoint, Flash,” Len said from his place across from Heatwave, cold gun in hand and a manic grin on his face, goggles on and raring for a fight, “but I’ve got my eye on someone else.”

That made Barry’s step falter. Did he mean him? He was willing to bring up whatever this was between him and CSI Barry Allen to the Flash? In front of Heatwave? In front of news cameras?

Without giving Barry a moment to say anything, to think, to regain his balance, Len fired, and they were off. The fight ends with Barry catching a win against Cold for the first time. The two thieves are arrested.

* * *

Barry saw them brought in, but he didn't get to talk to Len until after they’d been processed and put in a holding cell.

“Barry,” Len said, smiling and standing as Barry came into the room.

He didn't know what to say. He didn’t know what to think, really. Even though he spent hours thinking about Len, about the fight, about everything, Barry was still at a loss.

“You made sure the street was evacuated,” he finally settled on, the words spilling from his lips before he even knew he meant to say them.

“I did,” Len said, watching him carefully.

“And you made sure there was a delay on the bomb, so Caitlin wasn’t really in danger.”

“That was Mick actually,” Len said, nodding to the side and drawing Barry’s attention to his partner, who was more still than Barry had ever seen him as he watched Barry just as carefully as Len did. “I keep my promises,” Len continued, drawing Barry’s attention back to him. “I told you to---”

“Trust you,” Barry finished for him.

He didn’t know what he was planning to do before he entered the room, but he did then.

“Now I need you to trust me,” Barry said, and he waited just long enough to see Len nod before he left the room.

He didn’t stop until he got to his lab. Then, as quick as he could, he sped out of the door again, into his Flash suit, and back to the holding cell. He didn’t slow down at all, making sure to move quickly enough that any security cameras would see nothing but lightning. He grabbed Len and Mick and raced for the woods at the edge of the city.

He dropped Mick off at the edge and ran himself and Len a little farther in, not far out of earshot of Mick.

As soon as Len got his bearings, he stiffened up, ready to fight the vigilante in front of him. At least until Barry lowered his cowl.

He let Len look him over, let him merge his ideas of the Flash and CSI Barry Allen. He watched Len as he did this. His blue eyes sharp and calculating, showing so much intelligence without him saying a word. He was just as breathtaking as Barry remembered.

“Len,” Barry said, drawing Len’s gaze back to his. “Thanks for trusting me.”

“Thank you, Barry,” Len said, voice full of more feeling and emotion than Barry was expecting.

He didn’t know where they’d go from there or if they could make it work, but he was looking forward to finding out.

All he needed to do was trust Len.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the prompt, MewWitch, it was fun to write! I hope this is the type of fic you were hoping for and that you liked it!


End file.
